


Je t'attendrai

by diedremagnusdottir



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alcoholic Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Historical, Historical References, Hurt/Comfort, Old Friends, Past Relationship(s), Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26403343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diedremagnusdottir/pseuds/diedremagnusdottir
Summary: Amelie has been looking back on her old life lately, not the one she lived before she first died, but the one she led with the team.  She wonders about Booker; if he continues to collect books, cursing in french, if his melancholy had gone over the years or on the contrary, had increased. But what she wonders the most is that if he still remembers her. A dream about a new immortal, a young US marine, motivates her to finally look for the team in hopes of meeting the new kid and of reuniting with her old love.A backstory from some of the best years of the team. Lots of historical events from the 40s to the 70s, drama, smutt, and emotional scenes.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Original Female Character(s), Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Reader, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. I: The missing one

Leaving Booker behind had been hard for them. Anyone would think Andy was the most hurt by him, but she understood the way he felt; she was tired too, but now, she had found a new motivation to keep fighting.  
The one who was really heartbroken was Joe; all those years they spent entire nights watching games, talking about the things they missed about their homes or centuries, only for him to set them up in that way and most important, hurt his love.

Now, they were in a safehouse in London, at least until Copley finished setting everything up for them to go back to work. 

Nicky was cooking breakfast as usual, with Joe helping him and Andy standing in front of the window, staring at the morning sky. Nile showed up looking like she hadn’t slept a bit, rubbing her forehead.

"What's wrong Nile?" Nicky asked softly.

"I had another nightmare," Nile sat, fixing her gaze on the wall "but this one was different." She frowned.

Andy turned around to see her as soon as those words came out her mouth. Joe sat in front of her hanging a kitchen towel on his shoulder.

"Do tell." He encouraged her.

“It was a small room, with wine colored walls and a big bed. A girl with burlesque clothes was laying in bed, peacefully at first, but then…” She took a sharp breath “A man was punching her, then strangulating her, until she died.” She looked down. “I could feel her fear, her desperation, her sadness…”

Andy just rolled her eyes.

"What?" Nile frowned.

"That's Amelie," Nicky said, serving eggs on each plate, as if it wasn't such a big deal.

"So, you guys know her?" her eyes widened in surprise.

"We found her after the Spanish War, in a brothel in Argentina." Andy explained plainly.

“Why didn’t you tell me about her?!” She asked, more confused than before.

“We didn’t know where she was, nor if she was still alive. The last time we saw her was in the 70s.” Joe explained. “We decided to wait for you to dream of her, or not...”

“Besides, when we introduced ourselves, Booker was there with us.” Nicky sat on the round table between Joe and Nile.

“And…?” Nile leaned her head, waiting for him to continue.

“She was his… Something, I’m not sure.” Joe shrugged. “They never labelled their relationship.”

“Come on, they were together for thrity years, she was his fucking wife.” Andy finally sat on the table. “If you dreamed of her, she must have dreamed of you already.”

“Guess I gotta prepare for a family reunion.” Nile smiled sarcastically.

“You will like her, she’s barely a century old, she will understand you far better than we do.” Nicky smiled. 

Andy scoffed.

“I can’t believe that after spending years with her, you still don’t know her.” Joe chuckled “The first one she’s going to look for is for that coward, not us.”

“She can’t possibly know he’s exiled.” Nile argued.

“Nile is right, she will think he’s still here with us” Nicky added.

“When we are on a break, like now, he’s always somewhere in France. She knows him, she’ll look there first.” Andy leaned back, eating toast. “Still, she’s pretty unpredictable. We can’t know for sure with whom she’s gonna stay.” 

Everyone remained quiet, perhaps because they knew she was right.

Nile was surprised that no one had mentioned her before, but also about Booker having something with her, or with anyone. The guy didn’t seem someone stable or romantic, he was mostly nihilistic, and she couldn’t picture him being happy or in love, as sad as it may sound. The little time she spent with him he looked depressed, and tired of all.

"So, is someone gonna tell me the story?” She looked at them. Joe cleared his throat. 

_"People from all over Europe were getting themselves or their children on ships to a better future, or so they hoped. After the Spanish war, we got onto one of them. We knew, somehow, that the new land would need us, but the journey was long.  
The ship was full of melancholy; people that had left everything in order to try for progress in a new country. Mothers with their babies, young men and women, even children that were on their own.  
Eventually, we got tired of being by ourselves all the time, so we decided to give our food to the people that needed it the most. It wasn't like we could die of hunger anyways…"_

**1938**  
_A young woman stared at the sea, leaning on the ship's railing. Her dress seemed old, and her brown, curly hair shone under the midday sunshine.  
She was very skinny, he assumed her family hadn't been so prosperous during the war time. Unsure of where she was from, Jussef extended his hand with a piece of bread to her. _

_She looked at it and then at him._

_"Sorry, I am to marry as soon as I arrive." She apologized in Spanish._

_"I'm not trying to win your heart, I'm giving you this because you need it more than I do." He tried to answer, but it sounded mostly Italian._

_"You are from Genova! I can hear it in your accent." She smiled exited and took the bread. "Grazie."_

_"I am not, but my love is." He smiled "Are you?" He raised an eyebrow. He was curious about the people from his husband's land, the modern one. The last time he saw an Italian that wasn't Nicky, his sword had trespassed his chest before he could speak a word._

_"No, but I learned the language.” She said proudly. “Are you traveling with her?”_

_That took him aback, not because of the question, but because his love was not a "she". It was so long since he had a conversation with someone that wasn't part of the team that he forgot his love for Nicky wasn't acceptable for the majority of people. It wasn't in their time, and it wasn't now. He only hoped that someday, people like them that don't get to live thousands of years could stop hiding._

_"Yes, and with my family." He looked at the floor, then at her again. "You said you were to marry in Argentina, have you been there before?"_

_"No, but a woman came to my village and offered our families to pair us, young girls, with rich men in America. My parents had heard they were doing the same in other places like Ukraine and Poland, so they accepted."_

_He didn't doubt her words, but rather, the way they were marrying girls with men they didn't know. It seemed odd._

_She could see the doubt in his face, and she didn't like it. Traveling to an unknown country on her own was scary enough, she didn't want to worry about anything else._

_"His name is Emmanuel, I've seen pictures of him," She assured him._

_When she was about to reach out to her pocket to show him, an older woman came from behind her._

_"You better not touch her nor speak with her." The woman warned Jussef as she took the young girl’s arm. "And you, I told you not to split from the rest, go inside." She forced her into one of the ship’s chambers._

_He just stood there, not believing how that woman treated the poor girl._

_"There you are." Booker walked to him "We have been looking for you." He looked at the door Joe was staring at. “What’s the matter?”_

_“Let’s go, I’ll explain when we’re all together.”_

(...)

The old lady, Feliza, dragged her back to the chamber and threw her roughly on the bed.

"You shouldn't talk to men that way, you're engaged!" Feliza said, furious.

"He just offered me food!" She protested.

"I don't care, you know the rules. If you don't follow them, you won't leave your room until we get to the port." She warned her, and left the room.

Amelie rolled her eyes and looked over to her roommate, she was reading a book, or trying at least.

"How is your Spanish going?" She asked her.

The blonde girl just gestured a “so-so” motion, wrinkling her nose.

"Let's practice then." Amelie offered. She sat on the bed beside her. "My- name- is- Kassia. I- am- from- Poland." she said slowly, so she could know the words in every syllable.

She repeated the words in a broken Spanish. At least, they had time to practice before she had to speak with her husband.

"That's it, very good!" She praised her and they both smiled.

"I-Uh...How much...time to arrive?" She asked, her polish accent coloring the words.

"I don’t know, months." Amelie sighed, laying in bed. "What do you think your life will be in Argentina?" She wondered.

"My life? I marry the man, live together and have children. Many, many children. We happy." She sounded very certain of it.

"And what if you don't like your husband?" Amelie asked teasingly.

"I look for other, and go with him instead." Kassia shrugged, laying in bed too.

They both laughed.

"Yeah, we can do that." Amelie nodded smiling.

"Your children and mine can play together," she offered.

"They **will.** " She assured her. 


	2. II

On their way back to their chamber, Joe hadn't changed that worried look on his face. Booker would look at him every now and then out of the corner of his eye, knowing something quite serious had happened to keep him quiet for so long.  
When they finally reached the room, he opened the door. Joe walked past him straight to the only chair. Andy glared at Booker from the bed where she was laying, trying to find an explanation on his face for the sudden change in Joe's mood, but he just shrugged and sat on the crackling wooden floor.

“I met a girl in the second class cabins,” Joe leaned his elbows on his knees “She told me there are people convincing young women into pairing up with rich men in America and traveling alone to marry them." He looked up at all of them. “I feel there’s something wrong.” He shook his head.

"I don't know what could be wrong with that." Andy shrugged.

"They just want to get away, out from under the war and have a better life,” Nicky said softly, looking at him calmly. “Europe is not the best place to be right now.”

"They don't even know these men." Joe shook his head.

"You speak as if it wasn't that way in your time." Andy scoffed, cocking her head to glance at him.

"Even in mine it was still like that." Booker chuckled, lightning a cigarette. 

Joe remained quiet, clearly not convinced.

"I will go around the people and try to get more information if that eases your worry, mio amore." Nicky stood beside him and caressed his back.

"Me too, just in case. We have nothing better to do." Booker raised his hand lazily.

They all stared at Andy, waiting for an answer.

“Fine,” She rolled her eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed “But if there’s nothing wrong, you will owe me a lot of baklava when we get back to Europe.” She pointed at them, getting up.

"As you say, boss." Nicky gave her a little smile.

“Booker and I will check the cabins on the upper deck, Nicky and you check the lower one.”

There was a reason for this split up, and not a nice one. 

Nicky had grown a strong sense of homesickness for Italy in the last few years, she could see the nostalgia in his eyes, and he had the right to feel it; they hadn’t been able to travel there in a long time. The lower deck people were mostly Italian, and talking to people from his homeland would make him feel better, hopefully.  
On the other hand, the upper deck cabins were the place of the first and second class, British, French, and still others whose languages they could speak.

The sun was setting in the vast sea, painting the sky in warm, pinkish tones. The soft breeze that came with it was enjoyable, so most people were on the deck of the ship chatting with each other.

“Let’s split, we will do it faster.” Booker murmured.

“See you later.” She patted his shoulder without looking at him, and walked away.

He walked to a bench nearby. Most people that sat there had someone to talk to, creating a background of different languages and accents, but they all shared laughs or smiles. All, except for a young woman.   
She sighed resting her head on her hand, curving her back and playing with the ends on her dress.  
He sat beside her, taking a box of cigarettes off his pocket.

“It’s a beautiful view.” he broke the ice, staring at the sea as he placed a cigarette in his mouth.

She stared at him in silence, straightening her back.

“Sorry, do you want one?” he held the box to her.

She hesitated. She had already tried them back at home, and they did a great job making her feel less hungry, one more wasn’t going to kill her. She finally took one, and he brought his face close to hers to light both cigarettes with the same match.

“Grazie.” She thanked him, exhaling the smoke.

Thank God he decided to learn Italian a few years ago. Well, maybe it was many years ago.

“It must be pretty boring for a young woman like you to be here on your own.” He kept staring at her.

“It is, from time to time” She smirked.

He didn’t know if it was her smooth voice, or the way she playfully looked at him, but for a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

“What about you?” She looked away to ease his shyness. “You must be the only frenchman here.” She smiled.

“The only one that’s not in first class." He chuckled "I've been traveling around the world with my friends" He explained.

For some reason, he didn’t want to lie to her, or at least he didn’t want to create a new backstory. It was technically the truth anyways, he would just have to omit the little details, like that they had been doing that for almost 200 years. 

"Sounds fun,” She half shrugged. “what countries have you visited?" She asked, gazing at him.

Before he could think about a way to set all the countries and events he had witnessed into a modern world timeline, they heard a girlish voice calling. She quickly turned her head to the girl.

"Amelie!" The blonde girl waved her arm at her fast, almost running towards them.

"Sorry, I have to go," She apologized, standing up "See you around." 

She smiled and walked past him. He couldn’t help but gaze at her while she talked to the girl; he had never felt so boyish with a girl, not even when he was young, but she had left him speechless at least twice in a ten minutes talk. He frowned and got up, he completely forgot he needed to find more information rather than just chat with the passengers.

She hurriedly walked to her, the way she called for her in a distressed tone made her blood run cold.

“Kassia, what happened?” She frowned, taking her hands and trying to find any bruise or signal of what had happened.

“A man approached me, and we started to talk. He’s in charge of the ship, and he told me we could eat and do whatever we wanted!” She excitedly clasped her hands on her chest.

Amelie scoffed at the innocence of her friend, and at her anticipated paranoia.

“How do you know he wasn’t lying to you?” Amelie asked in a soft tone, not wanting to put her down, “Men tend to lie to get a woman’s attention.” She folded her arms.

“A couple sailors were taking two stowaways to the dungeon, they had just found them, and he ordered to let them go.” She explained. “He has to be in charge!”

At least they could eat whatever dishes the higher class did instead of the tasteless oatmeal and soup they got everyday.

“Then let’s hope Feliza doesn’t find out.” Amelie smiled.

“Please, could you help me?” she pleaded, putting her hand together and pouting “I will have you back too, whenever you want to talk with that man.” She smirked.

Amelie couldn’t help but chuckle at this. She wasn’t sure who the man that talked to Kassia was, so she would keep an eye on him in case he wanted to hurt her, but if that put a smile on her friend’s face, she was willing to help.

“I will, we are friends,” she assured her, stroking her shoulder. “Now let’s go, it’s almost night.”

(...)

Booker spent the rest of the evening talking with more people, yet he couldn't find anything. On his way back to the room, he looked up and found her on the balconies. She was leaning on the rail, still smoking the cigarette. That other girl called her Amelie, a pretty name for a pretty girl. He shook his head and continued his way downstairs to the room, he wasn’t prepared to attach himself with someone who wouldn’t be there forever.  
Andy was already there, and ten minutes later Nicky and Joe came back. Their eyes had a different look, a cheerful, bright one. At least, Andy’s plan for them had worked perfectly.

“Could you hear or find something?” She asked.

“Nothing but good stories and mediterranean music” Nicky shook his head.

She looked at Booker.

“I didn’t hear anything useful, sorry” He shrugged.

“What about you, boss?” Joe asked.

“Nothing but what you already told us” She answered deadpan.

Joe nodded in acknowledgement and looked down. His cheerful eyes were now downcast.

“Keep looking a bit more will not kill us” Booker suggested, noticing the irony of that phrase “After all, we will be here with nothing else to do for two months.”

Joe smiled at him in thanks and Nicky arched an eyebrow.

“You are not usually the positive energy here, you must have spent a really good evening” He smirked.

“I just saw a beautiful sunset.” He smirked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, this is kinda the backstory of our girl Amelie, but I'm not sure if I should follow the modern timeline (Aka, after the movie) or this one since this can be boring for ppl who wanted to read a modern AU. I'm thinking about making a different book for her whole backstory with booker from 1938-1970's.  
> Let me know what you guys think/want! This timeline, following what happened next and how she died, or a modern one where we can see her drama with the team and Booker.


	3. III: Friends

"We are done then." Andy said and walked to the door.

"Uh...actually." Joe stopped her.

He rubbed the back of his neck and Nicky put his hands on his pockets, looking down.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," Nicky said softly.

Her eyes narrowed as she glared between the two of them. 

"Nicky and I may have...accidentally been caught by some stupid sailors in the lower deck," Joe rolled his eyes in frusttration.

"The skipper of the ship happened to be there, trying to flirt with a girl, but she was polish so they couldn't understand each other. He was about to send us to the dungeon...so we said we knew someone who could translate for them and help her learn spanish." Nicky explained, cocking his head.

They stared at her, expectanting her reaction, but she only sighed.

"I'll do it." She assured them calmly.

They smiled, all the nervousness and frustration had banished from their faces.

"Thank you, boss." Nicky smiled at her.

She smiled back and finally walked out the room. Booker hurried to the door as well, but he stopped.

"Was that girl wearing a flowered dress?" He asked.

"Yes, a very pinkish one in fact." Joe turned around to see him. "Is she the beautiful sunset you saw?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"No, but close enough.” He smirked "Have a good night." 

Andy was waiting for him on the other side of the door. She looked at him from head to toe, still she said nothing. They just walked together.  
The lamps in the room barely illuminated it, they were dirty, so they reflected a yellowish, soft light. He got into the bed with his back on the wall and an open book in his hands, but he could feel Andy’s eyes on him.

"What is it?" He asked, closing the book and looking back at her.

She gave a deep breath and her gaze softened. He knew that look, the one that a mother would do to her child when she was about to deny him something, the one she did before saying something she knew that would hurt him. 

"Book, you know how things are with mortals." She said in the softest tone he had ever heard from her. 

"What do you mean?" He frowned, but he perfectly knew the lecture he was about to receive.

"That woman you talked to..." She insisted.

"I just talked to her for a few minutes, Andy." He brushed her away.

"Having anything to do with them would do nothing but hurt you." She sighed "You are relatively young, don’t add more pain to what you are already carrying.” 

Behind that gentle gaze, her eyes were tainted with pity, he could see it clearly and he didn’t like it at all. He looked away, but she was right. Normal people lived a breath compared to them, how many years could he spend with someone before they notice? God, he was already dreaming of spending time with a woman whose name he didn't even know, it was ridiculous.

“I’ve spent the last hundred years only interacting with you three. I just want to get to know someone from this decade, someone who knows she doesn’t have all the time in the world.” He drew up the inner corner of his eyebrows.

She nodded and looked down with a bittersweet half smile on her lips.

“Sleep well.” She turned her back at him, covering herself with the blanket.

(...)

Amelie heard the sound of the door opening and voices talking. Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times to adjust them to the light. Kassia walked to her side with a tray full of sweets and different types of cake.

“A waiter came and said he sent this to us.” She said with a smile, it seemed like a fairytale.

“He really likes you.” Amelie chuckled.

“It has a note, can you read it?” She handed it to her “I tried...but I can't understand it” She pouted.

“Of course, let me see.” She took it in her hand, narrowing her eyes. “ _Dear Kassia: I sent you some things for you and your friend to have for breakfast, they made me think of your sweetness. _Such a romantic.” She raised her eyebrows, amazed. _“I have found a Polish teacher for you to learn Spanish. If you agree with this, please meet us at the deck after breakfast."___

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____She made a high-pitched wheeze of excitement, shaking her arms._ _ _ _

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____“I’m so happy!” She hugged her briefly, and quickly started to eat and drink her tea._ _ _ _

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____“Hey, easy, your belly will hurt if you eat fast." Amelie frowned and stopped her from putting another bite of cake on her already full mouth. “I’ll come with you.”_ _ _ _

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____She smiled with her cheeks full like a squirrel.  
After they finished eating and changing their clothes, they walked down to the deck. Unlike yesterday, the air was colder now and the sky was gloomy. Still, the eagerness on Kassia’s face made the ambience feel as if it were any other sunny day. _ _ _ _

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____“So, are you going to translate and teach her?” The dark haired man asked, pointing at Andy._ _ _ _

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____“I have one condition.” She stopped him._ _ _ _

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____“You aren’t in a position to put conditions, I could send you and your friends to the dungeon" He scoffed._ _ _ _

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____“You can try. But you won’t find anyone else here who speaks both Polish and Spanish.” She crossed her arms, standing with her head high._ _ _ _

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____He sighed, looking down in frustration._ _ _ _

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____“Speak.”_ _ _ _

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____“A place to stay once we arrive. Two rooms with two beds each, at least.”_ _ _ _

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____“Done. My mother owns a tenement, you can have two rooms there.” He agreed._ _ _ _

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____“We have a deal then.”_ _ _ _

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____Kassia waved at him. He smiled and approached her with open arms._ _ _ _

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____“Good morning, my-”_ _ _ _

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____“So you must be the guy.” Amelie got in his way. “I’m Amelie.” She extended her hand, staring at his eyes confidently._ _ _ _

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____“My name is Fabrizio Moretti” He shook it, taken aback for her attitude. “You must be her friend.”_ _ _ _

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____She cocked her head in response._ _ _ _

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____“Where is my teacher?” Kassia asked, looking behind him in tip toes._ _ _ _

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____“She’s over there.” He pointed his back with his thumb._ _ _ _

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____Amelie looked and saw a dark haired woman, standing against the wall. At her side, the French man listened to her with a serious expression.  
Kassia and Fabrizio walked over her, but she remained awkwardly standing in the same place. The man catched her gaze and smiled, leaving Kassia behind and approaching her. Andy smiled too._ _ _ _

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____“Is that the only Frenchman outside first class that I see?” She asked, dramatizing._ _ _ _

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____"You told me you will see me around and here I am, in flesh and bone." He gestured to himself with a cocky smile. “I’m Sebastien, by the way.” He extended his hand, but with his palm up._ _ _ _

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____“Sorry I didn't introduce myself before, I'm Amelie." she put hers on top of his. “It’s a pleasure, Sebastian.”_ _ _ _

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____The touch of her soft, smaller hand on his made his heart beat a bit faster. He didn’t even think about correcting her about his name._ _ _ _

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____"What brings you to the deck?" He asked, finally letting go of her hand._ _ _ _

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____"I accompanied my friend to her Spanish class. I think your friend is her teacher." She raised her eyebrows. “What about you?”_ _ _ _

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____“Oh, I was told an Italian girl was in need of cigarettes on this side of the ship, so I had to come and provide them for her again.” He looked at her._ _ _ _

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____"Thanks, but I'm not Italian." She chuckled._ _ _ _

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____His eyes widened, yet he still held a smile._ _ _ _

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____"I'm Spanish" She explained, seeing the confusion in his face. "I just spoke in Italian because it is more similar to French than Spanish, so I thought you would be more likely to understand it."_ _ _ _

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____She looked away with coyness. The girl was truly beautiful, he hoped she could find her way on the new land, she deserved it.  
He wasn’t much of a talker, he didn’t have much to talk about, or at least not a lot that she could understand, yet he was a good listener. He carefully heard her talk about her family; her older brother was fighting against the fascists, her sisters worked all day, and her youngest brother, Ignacio, was only 8 years old.  
He was charmed by her round, auburn eyes. They could say so much without even a word; they told him about her nostalgia, her fear of the unknown, her hope for a place to rest. _ _ _ _

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____“How do you think Argentina is going to be?” He asked, looking at her._ _ _ _

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____“I don’t know.” She answered softly. “A place where we all can have a fresh start, free of war, where wheat grows everywhere...” She looked up at the sky, her eyes shining with hope. “Or so I dream...” She shook her head._ _ _ _

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____She had to stop daydreaming about everything being perfect, deep down she knew life wasn’t like that. She would have to struggle at the start, but it would be worth it._ _ _ _

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____“What about you?” She briefly looked at him. “Why did you leave?”_ _ _ _

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____He remained quiet. He couldn’t think of an isolated event to answer, and he didn’t want to go back to all the poor life decisions that had brought him there.  
She looked at him, her eyes irradiated a gentle empathy, it almost felt like a caress._ _ _ _

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____“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” She said softly._ _ _ _

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____“It’s okay” He assured her with a sad smile. “I just…”_ _ _ _

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____“Amelie” Kassia stood in front of her, anxiously playing with her hands. “Feliza is coming, I saw her coming upstairs." She said quickly, expressing as best as she could with the little she had learned._ _ _ _

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____Amelie’s eyes widened and she took Kassia’s hand._ _ _ _

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____“I’m sorry.” She apologized to Sebastien._ _ _ _

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____She ran with Kassia back to the room and quickly got in the positions they would normally be. She sat on the bed with an open book, while Kassia started brushing her hair.  
A minute later, they heard footsteps outside the door. It swung open and Feliza cautiously analyzed the scene._ _ _ _

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____"Have you gone out?" She asked, narrowing her eyes._ _ _ _

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____"No ma'am, we have been here since you left." Amelie answered confidently._ _ _ _

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____“Someone told me they saw the Polish girl talking with a man.” She shifted her gaze to Kassia._ _ _ _

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____“It can’t be possible, she just woke up.” Amelie chuckled “That’s why she’s brushing her hair. Right Kassia?”  
Kassia nodded quickly with a smile. Feliza looked back at Amelie, and she didn’t seem happy. She walked over her side and looked at her dead in the eye._ _ _ _

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____“I will tell you this just once, since you are the only one that can understand.” She looked down at her “If I find any of you talking with a man, I will let you on the streets as soon as we get there and I’ll tell your husbands that you were not good wives for them.”_ _ _ _

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____Amelie swallowed, yet she didn’t lower her head nor look away. The old lady tssked at this, but she left without saying a word more._ _ _ _

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____“Thank you, Amelie.” Kassia looked at her as she got into her bed._ _ _ _

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____“It’s nothing.” She smiled._ _ _ _

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____“You talked again with the blonde man.” Kassia smirked. “He likes you, I can see it in his face.” She said with her thick accent._ _ _ _

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____“He’s French, they flirt with everyone.” Amelie chuckled. “Sweet dreams.” She turned off the light on the nightstand._ _ _ _

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____Kassia was her friend and they were on this journey together, but Kassia was younger than her. She was a rather innocent, dreamy girl, full of hope, besides the fact of their language barrier. Amelie couldn’t blame her, but it was comforting to have someone else to talk to. Sebastian had listened to her with genuine interest, and she felt his eyes on her at every moment.  
Perhaps Kassia wasn’t so innocent and she was right, but she was crossing the ocean to marry, and once she was married, help her family back home. She couldn’t abandon all that, her future and family just for an adventure._ _ _ _

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this first chapters are a bit meh but I think it's just the beggining of the worldbuilding. The next chapters are going to have a lot more action jdksjd


	4. IV: Crushed

They settled into a routine that kept going for almost two weeks. After breakfast, Amelie would accompany Kassia on her way to meet Andy, from there, she would stay on the deck talking to him until the sun went down. There were more days when they left in a hurry, not wanting to be discovered by that old grumpy woman, than those where he got to properly say goodbye to her. It didn't matter, as long as they had the chance to meet the next afternoon.

In the meantime, Joe and Nicky spent their days in the lower deck, the only place in the ship that felt almost like home. The journey had been pretty boring for them since Andy and Booker were away, but there, at least they could share food and stories.

A middle aged woman walked through the people, pushing them aside. Joe recognized her right away, she was the one that yelled at him for talking with that girl. He narrowed his eyes, she was desperately looking for something, almost madly. Her wide open eyes roamed all around the multitude until they met him. She approached them with short, but fast steps. She didn’t even reach his shoulders in height, but she certainly could scare satan himself away.

“Where’s the Polish and the Spanish girl?!” She snarled, staring at them.

“How are we supposed to know?” Nicky frowned.

“You.” She pointed at them, leaning forward. “You and your friends are helping that criminal of Moretti. You have no idea what could happen to you if those girls don’t come to Argentina as virgins!”

Her face was red and she breathed in short exhales. She huffed at their silence, turning around to walk away with her head high, as if nothing happened. They looked at each other and Nicky nodded, that was enough to know they must follow her.

"Ma'am, ma’am! What did you just say?!" Joe stopped her by softly grabbing her shoulder.

She turned around frowning and gasped indignantly.

"Please, get away from me, stop!" She cried in a fake distress tone.

Two sailors quickly ran out of a cabin and glared at them. Unfortunately, they were the same sailors that caught them on the lower deck.

"You." One of them narrowed his eyes.

"We did nothing." Nicky explained stolidly.

"They are harassing me!” 

The sailor looked at the woman, then back at them. He leaned forward, invading their personal space, and stabbed his finger on Joe’s chest.

"Get away from here before I drag you both to the dungeon." He threatened through clenched teeth.

“We will not.” Joe firmly insisted. “You think we are criminals, but she’s the one deceiving girls!” He pushed the sailors hand off his chest.

Her eyes widened with a mix of rage and surprise. Nicky and Joe tried to fight the sailors to escape, but every time the tides would turn, more of them would join the fight. It took almost six of the seamen to quell them both, and even so, they kept fighting back with the little strength they had left. Feliza looked down at them smiling cheekily. She took a wad of bills from her purse and gave some to one of the sailors.

“Keep them there until we arrive at the port.” She murmured.

The sailor nodded and made a signal for the other to take Nicky and Joe down. They struggled, trying not to be taken, but they couldn’t break free.

(...)

Booker truly enjoyed their conversations. They could be deep, discussing topics as politics, revolutionary writers and ideologies, or silly enough for them to make poor imitations of historical figures and Feliza. Booker wished that he could tell her that they were not just imitations, but rather how they were in real life.

He hadn’t laughed so much, nor he had been with a smile on his face in such a long time that he forgot that eventually, their paths would part. She would become just a new memory in his heart that he would have to carry for eternity, but for him, it was worth it. What could be wrong with wanting to feel something, after all those years alone, and those yet to come? They were three days away from whatever destiny had planned for their future. He had the option of not doing anything, keep talking with her until they arrived and it was over, but he knew he couldn't live with the regret of not acting.

Coincidence or not, that night she decided not to leave at sunset. The night was quiet, and the starry sky was the perfect landscape for them. The moonlight made her shine in a way that he wished could last in his memory forever. 

"It's just one night." She cocked her head. "I don’t think I’ll have the chance to do it again."

He smiled and shifted his gaze back to the sea.

"What is wrong? You have been distracted lately." She gazed at him, concerned.

He lowered his gaze, trying to think about the best way to express himself.

"If something is troubling you, you can say it." Her hand reached his arm, comforting him. "At least, so we can laugh about it." 

He chuckled softly and a smile formed on her lips, but his faded into a more serious expression.

“You are beautiful.” 

She fixed her eyes on his, quizzically. He took a deep breath, his heart was racing so fast he could feel it rumbling in his chest. He stood closer, just a few inches away from her and licked his dry lips. It was now or never, there was no place for doubt anymore. His hand softly caressed her cheek, her eyes were half closed and she parted her lips. That was the sign he needed to know she wanted it as much as he did. He leaned his face down to meet her lips, but she put her hand on his chest, stopping him.

“I can’t.” She whispered.

He frowned, straightening his back as she slowly stepped away.

“I will marry once I arrive, it’s arranged.” She explained, dejected.

She was saying it almost as an apology, and her eyes sought for his forgiveness. He couldn’t forgive her, she had nothing to be sorry for. He would have done the same and more for his family, and in fact, he did. 

Without realizing it, he had taken a few steps away from her. 

"Sebastian, wait!" 

Before she could reach him, Feliza stood behind her, like a ghost that showed up from nowhere. She tugged her hair and she gasped in pain.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted, forcing her to look at her.

"We were just talking!" He argued, in an attempt to make her release Amelie.

"Shut up, you filthy Frenchman." She sneered "You better had not touched her, because if you did then she’s not worth even a…" She shut herself up before ending the sentence.

He glowered at her, but she quickly dragged Amelie back to her room.  
He stood there, freezed a few minutes before reacting. He still couldn’t process what had just happened. He would need a hell lot of alcohol tonight.

Feliza roughly tossed her into the bed. On the other side of the room, Kassia was sitting in hers.

"You, you both are nothing but whores!" She shouted "I will make sure that you don't get to breathe fresh air until we arrive!"

She left the room slamming the door, and Amelie could hear the sound of a key locking it. She ran and tried to open it, but of course, it was useless. She knocked it with her palms and fist, begging for Feliza to open it or at least unlock it, but she was already gone. She huffed and rested her back on the door, surrendering. She looked over at Kassia, she was sitting on her knees with her hands hiding her swollen face. She approached and sat beside her, patting her back.

"I'm sorry Amelie." Kassia mumbled.

"Don't be." She soothed her.

"I want to marry him." She sobbed "I love him, I can't go through with this."

Amelie hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, as her mother did with her.

“We can’t, Kassia.” She slowly shook her head.

“Why?” She parted from her embrace “We are about to marry men we don’t know! What assures us that they will be better than them?!”

“This isn’t about us Kassia,” She scolded “Your family is being attacked just for being jews, there is war everywhere and people are starving! We are women, do you think it will be easier for us to find a job? Even if we do, they would pay us nothing.”

She bit her lip, looking away. Amelie knew it was hard for her to think about it, but it was the truth whether they liked it or not. She traveled with only one goal; get money, and send it to her family. It was her only responsibility, and she couldn’t fail them; she couldn’t be here, living an adventure while her mother tended fallen soldiers and her sisters worked all day for a bag of flour. 

Amelie offered Kassia a glass of water, but she rejected it.

“Don’t we have the right to be happy too?” She wondered, in a soft tone.

“I don’t know” Amelie sighed, “Happiness will come with time, I hope.”

Kassia nodded, but her eyes were still downcast. She laid on her bed and turned her back to Amelie. 

She would never admit it out loud, but Sebastian had made her feel things she had never felt before. He carefully listened to her, he made her laugh until her belly ached, but over all, he understood her. She was self-conscious about how her heart would skip a beat every time she saw him walking to her, or how her cheeks would feel on fire when he accidentally brushed her skin.

Some tears rolled down her cheeks too, but she muffled her sobs with her hand. She cried, because if things should have been different, she would have gladly followed him and experienced that freedom they had talked about so many times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feliza is a vintage Karen, you can't change my mind.  
> I hope you're enjoying it <3


	5. V: Silver land

So many things ran through his mind, keeping him awake for most of the night and morning. When he finally was too tired to keep his eyes open, a sudden knock on the door woke him up again. The knock didn’t stop, and every time it was faster and louder. He sat on the bed rubbing the side of his head, but Andy already had got up and opened the door.

The couple quickly entered the room and closed the door behind them. Nicky had a black bruise on his cheek, and Joe’s lips were stained with blood. 

“What happened?” Andy frowned.

“Those assholes kept us in the dungeon.” Joe clenched his fist.

“That old woman that is traveling with the girls, she came into the deck asking us about them. She said something about us helping Moretti, but she also said that the girls should come to Argentina as virgins, otherwise we would be in trouble.”

“She told me the same.” Booker frowned “She told me that if I had touched her, she wouldn’t be worth anything.”

“We can’t still deny there is nothing wrong.” Nicky looked at Andy. 

"She forgot this picture on the table. " Andy took it out of her nightstand "Seems like it's her soon to be husband"

Booker grabbed the square paper, it was very thin, and he could see there were banished, printed letters behind it thanks to the sunlight. Being a former counterfeiter himself, he knew right away it was fake.

“It's a newspaper cut." He quickly got up "We need to help them”

“First we need a plan.” Andy stopped him before he could leave the room.

The horn rumbled all over the ship.

“We don’t have time.” Joe insisted.

_**Buenos Aires Harbor, August 1938.** _

Feliza was leaning on the door, smoking a cigarette as they gathered their things. The ship wasn’t supposed to arrive for another day, so they hadn’t prepared anything.

“Hurry up, I don’t have all day.” 

The air was chillier than she thought, and the sky was covered with gray clouds. Amelie walked down to the exit, but before, she needed to see him for the last time. Her eyes desperately wandered all around the multitude of passengers, until they met his oceanic, tired eyes. She froze in place, people were talking and walking, pushing her, but the only thing she could see was his face. She knew it was the last time she would ever see him, she wanted the memory of his face to last a few years. 

All the magic and emotions of the moment banished when Feliza tugged her arm to follow her. There was a long queue formed before a small cabin, so Feliza sneaked to the beginning of it, pushing everyone. She greeted the man inside and gave him their documents through the small window, and after he put a stamp on them, she thanked him.

She walked them to a nearby street, two cars were parked one behind the other; In the first one, some girls were being guided to get inside them by two men in suits. One of them opened the door of the second car, and she pointed them to do the same as the other girls. Amelie obeyed, but Kassia remained standing before the open door, her hands clenching around the handle of her purse.

A man shouted her name from the distance, and Kassia quickly turned her head to see him. Amelie did the same from inside the car; it was Fabrizio, he was running to her, but one of the bouncers stopped him. Feliza shoved Kassia inside and the car quickly sped away from the docks.

"Hey, stop! I just want to talk to her" He protested. 

"Those girls aren't for marriage, they come here to work." One of the bouncers smiled mockingly.

"Where are you taking them?!" 

"That doesn't matter." He pushed him “Go away, before you regret it”

Fabrizio slowly backed up, not breaking eye contact with Kassia. Before he could turn around to continue on his way, a strong hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Where are they?” 

He was taken aback for the Spanish teacher to care about Kassia, but then he recognized that man that had been talking with her friend Amelie. He guessed he was in the same situation as him.

“I don’t know, they put them in two cars and before I could get close, they had already driven away.” 

His eyes shifted to the rest of the group, and their faces didn’t express the joy of being in a new country.

“Do you know something else that I don’t?” He frowned.

Andy walked back to them without saying anything else, but Booker couldn’t help but feeling bad for the man. Fabrizio loved Kassia dearly, and Booker knew more than anyone how it felt to spend years and years wondering how your loved ones were doing, or even when they were.

“It's not safe to speak here,” Booker glanced behind him, where more bouncers stood, ready to strike at any time “We can tell you at the tenement.”

“Just hold on a few minutes.” Fabrizio nodded and walked to a nearby cabin.

Andy and Nicky glared at him, but he just shrugged. 

“He can help.”

She was fascinated by the little she could see through the car’s windows. The buildings were huge, and the women were dressed with gorgeous dresses and hats.

Suddenly, the car stopped before the sign of a hotel. It was called Palestina.

"Where are we?" Amelie frowned, shifting her gaze to Feliza.

"Just be quiet." Feliza hushed her.

The driver opened the door, but Amelie remained in her seat. He grabbed her arm and yanked her out. Kassia got out on her own, but Amelie could see the confusion on her face and chest rising and falling fast. 

"Where's my husband?” Amelie asked again, but this time her voice was trembling. “This is not what you promised!" 

She looked over Kassia and the girls from the other car, they seemed as afraid as her. Amelie tried to yell and run, but the driver put his hand on her mouth and forced her inside the building.  
More men did the same with the other girls, leading them two floors up the stairs, until they pushed them into a room. Instead of a bed, it had two racks full of lingerie and a dressing table.

"Undress them." Feliza ordered the other two girls in the room.

All of them tried to refuse and started to cry, but there was nothing they could do. It was the same prayer, over and over. It was a cry that even though she didn't know a word in German, Polish, and Russian, she could totally understand.

"No, no! Get off me!"

They were left in their underwear. Then forced to stand inside cubes filled with cold water. Feliza roughly washed her with a rag until her cold skin turned red, and the other women did the same with the others.  
After that torture, they were barely dried with a few cloths. Her teeth were chattering as she hugged herself in a poor attempt to cover her nudity and give herself some warmth. They started dressing the girls as if they were dolls, none of them would agree to be dressed in those inappropriate clothes. Corsets, bras, and fishnet tights didn’t help with the cold Amelie was feeling at all.

She was the first one in the line to get out of the room. She remained still, the thought of what was going to happen next made her blood run cold.

“Come on, get out!” Feliza held the door open.

As far as she could see, there was no one guarding the other side of the door. She needed to escape somehow, she would not be humiliated. She tried to run, but the same guard that had forced her in caught her by her waist.

"Didn't you listen?! Behave yourself or you're going to have a rough time here!" He grabbed her forearms tightly. 

She spit on his face, but she instantly regretted it when he raised his first up to hit her. 

"Be careful, you beast! Not in the face, she will be worth less money" Feliza scolded.

Amelie yanked her arm out of his grip and followed the women. They lined all the girls on a wooden floor, facing a velvet curtain. When they were all in place, the curtain opened and a bright light blinded her.

"Welcome, gentlemen" The lady greeted the strangers. "You will be delighted with the selection of girls we brought from all over Europe!"

She tried to cast a shadow in her eyes with her hand so she would be able to see, but it was everything but comforting. She was being exposed in front of at least ten men, sitting on luxurious couches and drinking with vile smirks on their faces.  
She looked over to her side and found her friend's puffy eyes. She was on her own, but she had been through a lot before coming here. On the other hand, Kassia was alone in an unknown place, where she couldn’t understand most things and most people. It made Amelie’s heart clench.  
Amelie slowly touched Kassia’s trembling hand and she held it, without words, it was her way to tell her that whatever happened, they were together in this.

One by one, they made the girls step to the front of the stage. As soon as one of the men raised his finger, one of the guards would escort the girl off the stage, and so on, until Amelie and Kassia were the only ones left.

Amelie was forced to the front of the stage. She saw a finger go up. A fat, white man with a thick mustache raised his finger and smirked. Her stomach churned at the thought of him touching her.

Before she was pushed off the stage, she gazed over Kassia. She prayed if she didn't end up in the same place, at least her friend would be fine...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in a day? Guess it's gonna rain today.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so exited to finally post here!  
> So, this will be contain a lot of history, the first part is mostly about Argentina but this will also show more missions the team has done throughout the years in different parts of the world.


End file.
